Primary schools have lost their legal campaign to stop the education ministry publishing their Cito test results – the exam taken by most children in their final year of lower school.

A court in Utrecht gave junior education minister Sander Dekker the green light to publish the lists. The schools argued the results are meaningless when taken out of context.

Schools also fear the test results will be the dominant factor parents look at when choosing a school for their children. This will lead to too much demand for places at the best schools.